Starting Out – Beginning and Becoming

The Past and the Present; Triumphs and Trials; Discovery and Disillusionment; Relationships with Family and Others; Celebrations and Rites of Passage

Response Journals

• Recollections of Childhood

  • Introduction Response
    • List three things which influence how a child turns out to be who he/she is. Explain why each of these things are important.
  • My Hometown
    • Do you think you take an interest in your hometown? If so, explain what you have done which shows that interest. If not, why not?
  • HomeStreet
    • Who is shaped more by their home town - a person from the city or a person from small town? Why?
  • Memories / June Bug
    • Identify one vivid memory you have from your childhood.
  • Adjo Means Goodbye
    • Write a diary entry from Marget's point of view after she tells the narrator that she can't come to Marget's house anymore.
  • (I Remember) Back Home
    • If you were to write a poem about a childhood memory that was both positive and negative, what would you include?
  • Beyond My Father's Shadow / Remember Mum When I Mocked You
    • None
  • Back to Wolf Willow
    • None
  • Narrative of a Macklinite speech
    • Choose one speech you thought to be "the best". Write a response journal on why, in detail, it was the best.

• Recollections of Home and Family

  • Introduction
    • Free write into paragraphs.
  • The Day the Old Man Melted
    • Write two original metaphors of your own to describe how most teenagers see their parents.
  • M-O-T-H-E-R
    • None
  • Deep Freeze
    • How does this story make you feel? Explain.
    • What is your opinion of each of the characters in the story?
  • Ballade of Lost Objects
    • Write a journal entry one of your parents might make while reminiscing about you as a child.
  • Those Winter Sundays
    • Make a list of the things your parents do that you ordinarily take for granted.
  • How To Do Battle with Grown-ups(Choose 1)
    • What is the author's attitude toward his subjet matter? How do you know?
    • Choose one of Collier's examples and tell what the parents might have done to win the "battle"?
  • Two Kinds(Choose 1)
    • What foramal lessons have you taken? Which ones did you enjoy? Why? Were there any you did not enjoy? Why?
    • Pretend to be Jind-Mei. Write one diary entry expressing your feelings about your mother from perspective of one of the following: a little girl, an 18 year old or an adult after your mother's death.

• Wonder and Imagination

  • Writing Assignment

• Recollections of School

  • "I Caught You"
  • The Bully
    • When a character is unwarrantedly cruel, then it is perhaps a natural reaction on the part of the reader to wish that the character recieve his or her just deserts. How satisfactory do you find the conclusion of this story?
  • School, The First Day
    • Do you beleive that school schools toady would help students like Nicu?

• Innocence and Experience
  • I Didn't Know I was Different
    • Is there less prejudice in the world today than there was in the past? Explain. Why is there prejudice in the world? Have you ever been the subject of prejudice? If so, how did it affect you? If not, how do you think it would affect you?
  • My War
    • Do you beleive that fairy tales protray women in an unfavourable manner? Discuss a fairy tale, other than Cinderella, which supports your opinion.
  • Grace
    • Answer the following questions:
      • How do you feel about the story's events? What was your reaction to Grace? to Billie Jim and his sister?
      • What message about life does this storey convey?
      • Are stereotypes a good thing? Explain.